Genever
The oldest Dutch distilled spirit, and the drink from which gin evolved. What genever exactly is, why 'old' has nothing to do with age, and which glass goes with it.
Jong and oud are not about age
Genever is a Dutch and Belgian distilled spirit made from grain alcohol with juniper, and almost always containing malt wine. That malt wine is the difference from gin: it is a distillate of malted grain resembling a young whisky, and it gives genever its grainy, malty note. Where gin is piney and dry, genever is fuller and softer. The name is protected: only the Netherlands, Belgium and two French and German border regions may use it.
The biggest misunderstanding lies in the words jong and oud. They refer not to ageing but to the style. Oude genever is the original type, with lots of malt wine, making it fuller and sweeter. Jonge genever only appeared in the twentieth century, when a lighter and more neutral taste became fashionable; it contains little malt wine. Only bottles with a year on them, such as a five- or ten-year-old genever, have actually been aged in a wooden cask.
In short
Four styles, and where the difference lies
The more malt wine it contains, the fuller and grainier the genever. That's the whole key to this shelf.
Young jenever
Little malt wine, so light and fairly neutral, with juniper in the background. The bottle that belongs in the freezer and the fixed half of a kopstoot.
Oude genever
More malt wine, making it fuller, sweeter and grainier. The original style, and confusingly the only one where 'old' says nothing about age.
Very old genever
Even more malt wine than a regular oude genever, bringing the distillate closer to whisky. Full, rounded and lightly sweet.
Aged genever
Genuinely aged for years in oak, with a year on the bottle. The juniper takes a back seat, replaced by vanilla, nuts and wood.
Korenwijn contains at least 51% malt wine and no more than 20 grams of sugar per liter. It is the fullest style there is.
Grainy and malty, with juniper underneath
Grain & juniper
Lightly malty grain with juniper underneath, and a fresh, spicy note. With an old jenever, there is noticeably more sweetness.
Soft and grainy
Dry and grainy in a young jenever, full and slightly sweet in an old one. In both cases, softer than gin, because the malt wine smooths out the sharp edges.
Short and clean
A short, dry finish with grain. With an aged jenever, it becomes longer and warmer, with vanilla and wood.
Flavor profile of a young jenever. Old jenever and korenwijn score higher on sweetness; aged jenever on sweetness and strength.
Three ways to drink jenever
Young jenever should be ice-cold, while old and aged jenever should not. That difference matters more than the price of the bottle.
Ice-cold, to the brim
Put the bottle in the freezer and fill the tulip glass right to the brim. Take the first sip with your hands behind your back, bent over the glass: that way you don't spill, and that's how it's done in a café.
Glass: jenever glass →As a kopstoot
A full tulip glass of young jenever alongside a glass of lager. First sip the jenever from the rim, then follow it with the beer. The combination is more Dutch than any cocktail.
Kopstoot →Old and aged, neat
4 cl in a tumbler or tasting glass, at room temperature. An old jenever or korenwijn doesn't need that chill; serving it cold actually closes off the malty character you want to taste.
Glass: tumbler →Cocktails with jenever
A number of classics we now make with gin were originally made with jenever. You can simply switch them back.
Kopstoot
A full glass of jenever alongside a glass of lager. Not a cocktail, but the classic.
Amsterdam Sour
Jenever with lemon, sugar and egg white. The Dutch version of a sour.
John Collins
Lemon, sugar and sparkling water. The original version was made with jenever.
Dutch Martini
Dry vermouth with jenever instead of gin. Fuller and grainier than the original.The right glass for jenever
A tulip-shaped stemmed glass for filling to the brim with ice-cold jenever, and a tumbler or tasting glass for old and aged jenever. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
The best-known jenever brands
Four Dutch names you'll find on every shelf and in every café.
Bokma
The square bottle that's round inside, and the brand that put grain jenever on the map in 1966.
About Bokma →
Ketel 1
Young jenever from Schiedam, distilled in a copper pot still. The bottle that brought jenever back to a younger audience.
About Ketel 1 →
Bols
The world's oldest distillery brand, and the house that brought jenever to the world.
About Bols →
Hooghoudt
Groningen family business, known for its jenever and for the beerenburg displayed next to it on the shelf.
About Hooghoudt →Everything you still wanted to know about jenever
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